浅村 和史

Abstract At subauroral latitudes, discrete auroras, such as strong thermal emission velocity enhancement and stable auroral red arcs, have been extensively studied. On the other hand, diffuse emissions at subauroral latitudes have not been studied well. In this paper, we report eight events of conjugate observations of faint diffuse 557.7‐nm emissions with intensities of 300–1,000 rayleighs without discrete structures equatorward of the auroral oval, using the Arase satellite and high‐sensitivity all‐sky airglow imagers in North America. Ground‐magnetosphere conjugate observations of such diffuse emissions have not been previously reported. Diffuse 557.7‐nm emissions were observed during both geomagnetically disturbed and quiet conditions. Preference for magnetic local time was not found in these eight events. Arase observed plasma‐sheet electrons with energies from several hundred eV to beyond 10 keV in the source magnetosphere, which is located inside the plasmapause. Electromagnetic waves, such as plasmaspheric hiss and lower‐band chorus waves, were also observed there by the Arase satellite. For five events, the resonance energies estimated from the observed wave frequencies ranged from 30 eV to 30 keV, suitable for generating the 557.7‐nm emission, though the pitch‐angle diffusion coefficient estimated for one event was not so large. We discuss the possibility that plasma‐sheet electrons in the plasmasphere precipitated into the ionosphere through wave‐particle interaction, forming faint diffuse 557.7‐nm emission equatorward of the auroral oval.

The Juice flyby of Earth in August 2024 gave us the first chance to evaluate the performance of the Jovian Plasma Dynamics and Composition analyzer (JDC) in environments similar to those expected at Jupiter. JDC is one of the sensors belonging to the Particle Environment Package (PEP) on the Juice spacecraft. It measures positive and negative ions as well as electrons in the energy range 1 eV q ⁻¹ to 35 keV q ⁻¹ . One of the most challenging observations at the final destination is the one of the low-energy ion populations in the tenuous ionospheres of Jupiter's icy moons. During the Juice flyby of Earth we discovered that the energies of the positive ions observed by JDC were not easy to interpret due to a problem with the energy sweep. Using measurements made on ground, we were able to reconstruct the observed energies and construct a new sweeping scheme that solves the problem and that will greatly improve future observations. We also used a simulation to explain the effects of the spacecraft velocity and spacecraft potential on the recorded positive ion fluxes when Juice passed through the Earth's plasmasphere. The study highlights the importance of in-flight calibrations for optimizing the scientific return. Planetary flybys give access to multiple low-energy particle populations besides the mono-energetic and highly directional solar wind.

Abstract Electron and proton precipitation into the nightside ionosphere is a key process in magnetosphere–ionosphere coupling. Although auroral electron precipitation at –10 keV is traditionally considered the main driver of auroral emissions, recent studies show that keV electrons and protons can significantly contribute to ionospheric energy deposition, especially during storms. While energetic electron precipitation has been studied extensively, the role of energetic proton precipitation remains poorly quantified. Here, we use coordinated ELFIN and DMSP nightside observations during two substorm events, resolving electron and proton precipitation spectra from eV to ∼MeV. We show that keV proton precipitation, consistent with curvature scattering, can have an impact on E‐region ionization comparable to that of energetic electrons. These analyses are further supported by magnetospheric observations from the Arase and THEMIS spacecraft and ground‐based incoherent scatter radar measurements from PFISR.

Abstract We investigated the spatial distributions and pitch‐angle distributions of 30–300 eV H ⁺ and O ⁺ ion fluxes using data obtained by the low‐energy particle experiments‐ion mass analyzer (LEPi) onboard the Arase satellite. A statistical analysis over 3.7 years reveals that the H ⁺ ion flux is enhanced at L  > 4 from the premidnight sector through dawn to noon, with the peak location shifting inward during geomagnetic disturbances. The pitch‐angle distribution of H ⁺ ions varies with both L and geomagnetic activity, which can be interpreted as the influence of transport processes and the ring current effect. In contrast, the O ⁺ ion flux exhibits a pronounced enhancement in a confined region at L  = 3–5 and 19–9 magnetic local time, with a strong dawn‐dusk asymmetry. The O ⁺ flux increases with geomagnetic activity at L  = 3–5, while remaining nearly unchanged at L  = 6. Its pitch‐angle distribution is consistently bidirectional and field‐aligned, with little dependence on geomagnetic conditions. These distinct spatial and pitch‐angle characteristics indicate that the observed H ⁺ ions correspond to the inner part of the warm plasma cloak, whereas the observed O ⁺ ions represent the high‐energy tail of the oxygen torus. The results further suggest that low‐energy O ⁺ ions are supplied directly from the nightside ionosphere along geomagnetic field lines, rather than being transported inward from the outer magnetosphere. Our findings demonstrate that the warm plasma cloak and the oxygen torus constitute likely independent plasma populations in the inner magnetosphere.

Super geomagnetic storms are characterized by extreme intensification of the ring current in near-Earth space. The origin of the ions that carry the ring current is key to understanding its development. In situ measurements of ring current ions by the Arase satellite demonstrate an unprecedented dominance of heavy ions originating from the Earth during the May 2024 super geomagnetic storm, despite the high solar wind density. The solar wind, another expected source of ions, contributes little to the energy density of the ring current. This observational evidence highlights the critical role of ion supply processes from the Earth and transport in the magnetosphere in developing the ring current for the super geomagnetic storm. Furthermore, the super-intense ring current penetrated close to the Earth, strongly deforming the local geomagnetic field and driving unusual outward transport of electrons, which led to the loss of radiation belt electrons from the near-Earth region.